Former US Rep. Clay Shaw dies at 74

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. E. Clay Shaw has died following a lengthy battle against lung cancer. He was 74.

Shaw's family says in a statement that he died Tuesday night at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale.

Shaw, a Republican, spent 26 year in Washington with his terms spanning four presidents between 1981 and 2007.

As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee's Human Resources subcommittee, Shaw authored the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. He also led the effort to eliminate the Social Security Earnings Penalty on working seniors.

Shaw was born in Miami and was elected mayor of Fort Lauderdale in 1975.

He is survived by his wife Emilie, four children and 15 grandchildren. He will be buried in Cuba, Ala.